Hold My Hand And Never Let Go
by Wattagirl
Summary: Kim as known by many, is Jared's stalker and that is what Jared thinks about her too. He hasn't ever given her a double take and doesn't even want to but only one take makes the difference and turn their worlds upside down to collide into one. While Kim has a lot to handle, Jared wants to help her be a normal teen. Do they make it?
1. The Beginning

AN: Hi everybody and Happy New Year. Just like every year, I'm updating yet another story. I have been writing it since a while but I guess it's time I updated. Here, you go!

 **HOW IT ALL BEGAN…**

 **(KIM'S POV)**

As I sat in my seat, trying to take my mind off the chapter that had been going in the class which was mostly about how we formed the World Bank and stuff, I remembered how my life changed over time. All it began was before the summer of fifth grade. We had moved to La Push just after my mom's big accident after which she actually lost her senses, that is, she became retarded in normal language. My brother Max had just turned 5, so, yeah, he questioned at first when dad had to give mom to a psychological hospital for her treatment. I was shattered but still had my mom's hope. At least, we hadn't lost her. We would still go to meet her every two days at first but then our trips became a weekend trip since I had to start school while dad had to be at work. So, my mom's sister, a single-mom, Aunt April and her daughter Callie used to live with us while Aunt April used to take care of Max. Callie and I began going to school at the reservation, both being Native Americans. That is… Quileutes. Callie and my aunt moved out after my aunt got married again…when Max began going to kindergarten.

I remember entering the school, walking after Callie that day because of my new environment when I clashed with the cutest person I had ever seen. It was something in his eyes or the way he smiled which made me fall for him so hard. It was Jared Cameron as Callie told me. I remember how sincerely I decided to sit on the grass ground to read my favorite book – Little Women but someone threw a football at me. I was still standing then. One of the guys of the same grade came to get the football and pushed past me. I fell down hard on the ground. It was Jared who came to lend me a hand to get up.

"I hope you're alright. Sorry about him." He had said, trying to make it up for his friend.

"Um… not it's okay. Don't worry." I answered. Jared and I never really talked but somehow a rumor spread around like wildfire. It stated that Jared and I liked each other. Whenever we would go into a class and be sitting around each other, not even on the same table, the girls behind us would be singing the same song.

'Kim and Jared sitting in a tree,

K-I-S-S-I-N-G!'

Jared never really even helped me after that. For him, I never even existed from then on. There was another thing that had hurt me. Some people cut my tree… okay; I don't want to remember it. It hurt but I couldn't really give much time to my broken heart since I had a lot to take care of. My dad and my brother needed someone to be strong and unfortunately, it had to be me.

Coming back to the present, I was sitting just behind the same guy who is my crush since more than the last 5 years. He dropped a pencil, like the third time in the same class. History isn't his thing which is why he bounces his knee all through the class. I still noticed him the way he was, perfect in his own way. Finally, the class ended and he shot out of the seat like there was a fire. I decided to control myself. I still had a lot to take care about rather than my stupid crush or my stupid heart which would try to pump out of my chest whenever he was near me. Funny thing was that he and I were in almost all same classes but we never were lab partners or anything. We were locker neighbors but he never really stopped to even say hi.

"Oh c'mon!" Callie came to me and whined.

"Where?" I asked her.

"Why? Just tell me why you still love him?" she questioned me, pointing her finger in Jared's direction.

"Shut up!" I hit her on her arm.

"What? You were sitting and staring at him all along!" she said while we walked out.

"You know what? I don't love him! You're just… over judgmental or something. I was thinking about something and he happened to be sitting in front of me." I told her.

"Why don't you just tell him the truth?"

"What truth, once again?"

"That it was love at first sight for you."

"It wasn't and it's not."

"Why do you keep lying to me?"

"I don't!" I shouted after finally we reached my locker.

"Kimmy, I was thinking something since a few days."

"Spit."

"You remember Daniel from 6th grade? The one who thought your eyes were like a doe's…"

"Yeah. What about him?"

"He's with me in Calculus." She told me.

"So?"

"And he's with you in Physics."

"What about him, now?"

"He is interested in you. So if…"

"Callie, shut up! You know I'm not interested. He's nice and all but no. Like a big NO!" I said to her.

You're… urgh!" she answered.

"What's up, babe?" Nick, her boyfriend since the last 14 months, came to us and kissed her; their usual way of saying 'hi'. I rolled my eyes. Sometimes, I wondered how a couple could be so perfect. Both were crazy about each other and their fights would usually result in one going to the other to say sorry. No hard feelings for more than 5 seconds.

"You know, Daniel from my calculus class asked me to set him up with Kim!" she said, excited.

"Whoa, interesting! Daniel is a nice guy, Kimmy! You should try out with him!" he said.

"My dear-dear Nick, I know you guys want me to leave you in private whenever you make out and stuff but you could've said it straight away. What's the need to try to set me up with someone?" I defended myself.

"Here she goes." Callie said.

"Callie, you must respect her feelings too. She doesn't want to go out with Daniel."

"She doesn't because she still likes that moron Jared Cameron!"

"I DO NOT!" I shouted.

"Shouting doesn't make this a lie!" Callie replied.

"You know what, Cal? You've got a pretty vivid imagination. You know I've got a lot on my plate already. I don't need anything else." I said as I shut my locker tight. As soon as I shut my locker, I saw Jared listening to what I had said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be eavesdropping." He said to all of us, not directly looking me in the eyes, as usual.

"It's okay." Callie said as I decided to pick up my pace and flee. Jared never needed to know because I didn't want him to know. As I said, I had enough on my plate that I could handle. I didn't want to make it even harder for myself. I knew Callie loves me and stuff but she doesn't just understand. I don't want to complicate things more than they already are.

 **(JARED'S POV)**

"I DO NOT!" someone shouted on the other side of my locker door. I knew this voice.

"Shouting doesn't make this a lie!" Callie, her BFF/cousin replied.

"You know what, Cal? You've got a pretty vivid imagination. You know I've got a lot on my plate already. I don't need anything else." She said as she shut the door of her locker so hard that it made quiet a noise.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be eavesdropping." I said to all of them. I really hadn't meant it.

"It's okay." Callie said to me and I saw Kim leaving. Wow, she had a choice of seeing me. Why didn't she stay? Not that I liked her or anything. She was my stalker.

All this began was in the beginning of fifth grade. I still remember that fateful day when I first clashed with my stalker, Kimberly Campbell aka Kim. I was running down the hall after my best friend – Andrew when she and I clashed into each other. Her things fell… my things fell and as the nice guy I was, I helped her. She had seemed new to me since I hadn't seen her at school before. Later that week, I don't know how, Andrew, once again, made her fall and as usual, I had to clear his stuff. The girls of my grade now began believing that I liked Kim Campbell since I would always, by chance get a seat near her somewhere. We never talked still they felt that. They began singing whenever they saw me and her sitting around each other:

'Kim and Jared sitting in a tree,

K-I-S-S-I-N-G!'

Were we in the 2nd grade still or what? Why didn't they sing all this when the lovebird couples of our grades sat together?

The tree had another story. Kim particularly loved a tree… it was not just a tree but a sycamore tree that she considered extra special. I never understood her theory, though. She said that when she sat in the tree, she felt like she was sitting in the sky and stuff. Some of the stuff which I used to hear was when she tried to persuade Callie to sit with her on the tree when our bus used to be late. I never cared though but still her words were enchanting. Later on, the tree was cut. I swear I didn't see Kim on the bus stop or at school for a solid two weeks. Girls are pretty weird to understand.

I knew she was hurt and stuff, so I decided to comfort her but from that day on, the rumor about us two spread and Andrew told me that she liked me. I never talked to her from that day on till now. Kim and my dad worked at the same place and that too in the same department so our dad's were close. A few weeks after the spread of rumor, dad decided to call her family for dinner but I decided to not be at my place and went for a sleepover at Andrew's. Well, it was then that my dad told me about her family. I really couldn't believe my ears. After what had happened to her mother, she never really seemed to show it. No one in our grade knew, maybe except a handful. Didn't she care about her or was she that strong?

The conclusion was that she was strong. My grandma told me how she looked after her little brother and her father even after her aunt, Callie's mom moved out. I do not like her at any cost, let me get that clear. She might be pretty and stuff but no. I don't have it for her; At least according to me.

Please review and tell me what you feel. You don't know how much it means to me. And 2 reviews till the next update! Thanks!


	2. Mom's Homecoming

**AN: I am so freaking sorry, I can't even Express it. I'm Back after a while with another chapter...**

 **MOM'S HOMECOMING**

 **(Kim'S POV)**

"Dad, what's up?" I asked dad as he got off the phone after a long time. He had been talking to mom's doctor since like an hour. Aaron had been practicing soccer in the lawn and I had been doing my homework. Dad always needed me whenever he got off the call with mom's doctor. Actually, he always needed me so…

"There's some great news!" he said and hugged me.

"Okay, dad, what?!" I asked, because I was shocked. He wasn't always happy as this, so it had to be something great.

"Doctor Schultz says that we can get your mom back home! And she is showing large symptoms of recovery!" he said.

"Wow, dad!" I jumped.

"We're getting her back in a couple of weeks." Dad said. I swear I hadn't seen dad being that happy since the last 5-6 years. Aaron was 6 or 7 when the accident happened and usually he was always reluctant to meet mom whenever we went to meet her at the institution. What else could you expect from a 13 year old kid? I knew it was going to be hard for Aaron to cope with mom living in with us. I went to him to at least let him know about the news.

"Hey, Aaron I called him. He was doing the soccer ball bounce balance on his head. Well, he always had a thing for soccer and maybe all the sports whereas as I … let's not discuss that.

"Hey, Kimmy!" he said, catching the ball in his hands.

"So… I got some good news for you!" I told him.

"Which is…?" he asked me.

"Mom's coming back home!" I told him, excited but the look on his face made my expressions fade away.

"What?!" he reacted.

"Why?" I asked him.

"Look, don't get me wrong or anything… I don't know if it's the right thing to get her home." He said, landing on the ground crossing his legs. I followed him and sat by his side. I ruffled his hair.

"I know what you're thinking about, honey but trust me; nothing's going to go wrong. Mom's gonna be just fine after a while and we're going to live happily ever after." I told him.

"But…"

I lost my control and shouted, "No 'ifs' or 'buts' Aaron but gaining it back once again, I added, "I mean, let's just try to adjust for a while."

"Fine, as you say." He said with utmost stubbornness.

 **A MONTH AND A HALF LATER…**

"Wow, mom. You're a pro painter, you know that?" I said, glancing the painting she had made. It was a night scene, a snowy winter night.

"Really?!" she jumped, excitedly.

"Yeah. Now, finish all these pancakes, okay?" I said to her.

"But my hands are all covered in paints!" she complained but smiled then, like a little girl.

"Okay, sit." I told her to sit and sat in front of her, crossing my legs. Her room had been specially colored orange, and white as per her choice. There were a lot of rock music CDs, as she had asked me to get. Other than that, there were many painting painted by her in the past two weeks. Usually, it was a few night scenes, some factory scenes and stuff. God knows what she means.

"Where is Aaron?" she asked me.

"He must be somewhere." I told her. "Why?"

"Nothing. I think he's just a bit jealous of Me." she said.

"Why would he be jealous?" I asked her.

"Because you spend so much time with her! Not with me!" he shouted. It was the answer to my question that I had just asked him. Aaron had been behaving a little off since some days and I had never seen him like that. So, it just had to catch my attention. I had, at first thought it was some chick trouble but it was a totally different topic.

"Look, Aaron I love you and you know that." I tried to calm him down.

"But you always go away whenever she calls you even when you are with Me." he said.

"I know but… Aaron she needs us, right now." I said and hugged him. This worked when I wanted him to do something for me.

"Kimmy, I… I know but what can I do?" he asked me, his voice was breaking.

"I just want you to be like a friend to her. Nothing more, promise me?" I asked him. He held my hand and I knew it was our promise which he wouldn't break.

I shut my locker trying to wake myself up. I had been tired since I was sleeping in mom's room with her, these days (since more than a couple of months). She woke up several times in the night and I had to take care of her. Many a times, she ventured out of the house and which caused our neighbors some trouble and I had to go to the rescue.

"Hey, Kimmy!" Callie came and walked by my side.

"Yeah?" I asked and yawned.

"You okay or what?" she asked me.

"Yeah." I answered.

"You completed your homework?"

"Yeah."

"You had something in the morning?"

"Yeah?" I said, hearing the growling from my stomach.

"Let's get you something to eat, first." She said but the bell went off just as she completed her sentence.

"Seems like I'd just get Lunch time." I told her and we walked to our chemistry class. I hadn't really noticed Jared since a while is what I could remember. I was pretty messed up since a few days because of my hectic schedule.

When Dr. Higgins, our chemistry teacher (he likes to be called dr. or he gives you a bad grade), came in, all I could realize was that he said that we were getting paired up. I was sitting comfortably in my chair at the back end of the class. Finally, I heard Callie's name being said with mine. I was happy; at least I didn't have to work hard for a while since she was going to take care of it. I didn't know what happened after that because everything went in a daze. I walked after her dizzily because she and I had almost a same times table except for a few, which I detested right now. I was tired, irritated and hungry and there were chances that either I would starve or die.

PE TIME

I looked around and saw Jared Cameron standing right in front of me or better to say, ahead of me. He was talking to Callie which seemed weird enough for a while. Then I heard Callie say: "Yeah, I'll give you the notes."

Some days ago, my mom even out of her innocence had said something really wise which hit my head all of a sudden.

 _"_ _So, you like this guy?" she asked me._

 _"_ _Uh… it's complicated." I told her. "You go on. How was it there?"_

 _"_ _No! Answer me first! I don't know anything!"_

 _"_ _Okay, okay. It's just that… I feel oddly attracted towards him." I answered._

 _"_ _Like how?"_

 _"_ _Like… his eyes, they're so deep, I can drown just by looking into them for a few seconds, his smile is so innocent that it makes me smile even from a mile away but he ignores me as if I don't even exist."_

 _"_ _So, you like the part of the painting rather than it on whole?"_

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_

 _"_ _See my painting. It has a cow, flowers and a meadow!" she said. I knew what she meant._

Did I even know Jared's whole painting? Or I just liked the parts? I mean I certainly noticed him a lot. I knew many of his habits: he would bounce his knee whenever he didn't know a question in Math, he would drop his pencil a lot of times if he was getting bored, his favorite color is brown, always before playing basketball, he bounces the ball crazily and a lot of stuff like that. We hadn't talked much and he didn't care about me. He never acknowledged me. These were the parts of the painting I didn't like that much.

Just a few seconds later, Coach Simons decided to have our class running on the track five times. Stacey Knight turned down the first. She said explained to us that it would make her feet hurt and she had to go on a date after school. Her boyfriend would never like it if she wasn't looking as fresh. Whatever.

Same was the case with two or three more. I had wanted to draw out too. Coach Simons knew my situation but still I didn't. I decided to run along with the class. After one round, I was so exhausted that I knew I would fall. I stopped. Seeing me, Callie stopped to see what was wrong with me. I stood by the support of the wall.

"What happened, Kimmy?" she asked me.

"I… I …" and before I knew I passed out cold. I knew my head hadn't clashed with the floor because someone had caught me midway. The same person was rubbing my hands but I didn't want to respond.

I knew it wasn't Callie because Callie wasn't as strong as to pick me up and carry me to the medical room. It had to be some guy. I tried to open my eyes slightly hearing Callie scream. The glimpses of the person who had been carrying me made my heart pump so loud that it hurt. I clutched his t-shirt. It was Jared Cameron if I wasn't dreaming.

"She is fine." I heard a womanly voice say. It was Nurse Taylor. I looked around inhaling the fresh breeze of the medical room (note my sarcasm) when I saw dad and sat up.

"Kimmy, what's wrong with you these days?" dad asked me as he came over to me. My body hurt and I didn't want to move. I felt like taking on the covers and sleep for a while but I guess it wasn't as possible as I had thought it to be.

"What happened?" I asked, acting innocent. I knew what had happened.

"You passed out. You didn't eat anything?" Nurse asked me. I didn't want to worry dad and so, I decided to lie.

"No, I had my breakfast." I lied.

"Are you stressing about something?" she asked me.

"No, what do I have too stress about?" I re-lied.

"Let's get you home." Dad said and I got up. I still felt dizzy but I knew I would reach home somehow. My stomach growled furiously but I didn't say anything.

I sat in the car, curling up into a ball as dad turned on the engine. Suddenly, a thought struck me.

"Dad, you had an off day today, didn't you?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"Who's mom with?"

"Don't worry, she's with April." Dad told me. I closed my eyes, feeling sleepy when dad finally asked me a question. "Kimmy, is there something going on in your life that I don't know?"

"Like?"

"A boyfriend because of whom you might be stressing?"

"No dad! I don't have a boyfriend. If I had, you'd know."

"But I don't know about anyone of that sort, do I?"

"Which proves that I don't have a boyfriend." I answered him.

"So, what's wrong?"

"Why? Does there have to be something wrong?"

"You're growing weak. You don't eat much these days. I usually find you with your mom every waking moment, if you're left with some time, you are studying or helping Aaron with studies or making dinner for us."

"Is that wrong?"

"No, I…"

"I'm sleepy. Let's talk about it later." I answered and closed my eyes. I didn't want to stress my little head.

I was lying in my room, finally eating my lunch that Aunt April had cooked for me. She asked me not to get up for the rest of the day and to an extent I liked being easy but soon, the trouble came. Mom refused to eat anything without having me to make her eat. Aunt April tried her best to make her eat as I was sleeping that time but mom came to my room. She saw me and began crying. I woke up with a headache and I had to calm her down and make her eat.

Aaron had to complete his assignment which was due in two days. I had to help him anyhow and it took us about three hours to complete it: just half of it. Meanwhile, dad went to office since he had some urgent work. Aunt April had to leave because her in-laws were coming or something. So, in short, I didn't have much time for myself.

It was the middle of the night I guess, about 2 o'clock when I heard mom shouting but she wasn't in sight. I ran towards the kitchen and saw that the backdoor was open. Shit! She had run away outside once again. I wrapped up my blanket around me and rushed outside to see mom knocking constantly at our neighbors' door and screaming.

"OPEN THE DOOR! OPEN THE DOOR!" she banged against the door.

"MOM?" I said from a distance. She ran to come to hug me and kind of hid herself like I did when I was small.

"They're… they're inside that house! They're going to take my Kimmy away from me…" she said, wailing.

"Mom, no one's taking me away from you." I answered.

"Not you… my baby girl." She replied. It hurt me somehow, what she had said. I was her baby girl. Our neighbor, Mrs. Greene, opened the door. "She might be one of them." Mom whispered in my ear.

"Kim, this is it!" she screamed.

"Mom, go back home, right now." I whispered back to her.

"But she'll kill you." Mom answered.

"No, she won't. Now go!" I replied and left her hand. She ran in through the back door. I almost turned back but Mrs. Greene… she was going to shout.

"No, you stop!" she said and I went towards her. Mrs. Greene had three kids: Ethan is the eldest one, who's my age, then there's Dean, who's Aaron's age, then there is Lily who is three. Ethan and Dean are her step kids though. Lily is her own blood. (Ethan's real mom was much better that her but it was his dad's choice. Anyway, Ethan and Dean don't like her all that much but can tolerate her.)

"I am really sorry, Mrs. Greene. She doesn't mean it." I told her before anything else.

"Why the hell do you guys not keep her in that institute anymore? You know that I have a little baby upstairs sleeping and whenever you retarded mother screams; my little girl wakes up crying. My kids go to school for god's sake! You all have to get that trouble home!" she shouted.

I wanted to reply but I couldn't. There were times when she had helped me… times when she had understood what I had needed and also, because she's Ethan's mom.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Greene. That won't happen again, ever." I replied.

"I should really advise you strongly that you leave her back there." She told me.

"Mrs. Greene, mom's doctor said that she needs a homely surrounding to recover." I told her, my voice small.

"I don't know anything. Just lock your doors or something then or build a privacy wall." She screamed still.

"I'll ask dad to take that into consideration." I said and walked back home. Mom was sitting on the dining table. She seemed scared and dad was sitting beside her. She was babbling things and Aaron was sleeping on the sofa. He must have come down hearing mom.

"Dad what happened 6 years ago in that house?" I asked dad.

"I don't know. She must be dreaming." He answered me. "Hey, Maya, let's go inside and get you to sleep." Dad said to mom.

"No, Willy! They're there!" mom screamed.

"Mom, look. It must've been a nightmare." I told her and took her into her room.

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